Sherlybox - turn your public clouds into private & unlimited

$154,106

896

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When it comes to file sharing, people need more storage and more privacy. The cloud is not enough: inherently insecure, limited and slow. That's why we made Sherlybox – your own private cloud storage.

So what is it?

Sherlybox is a storage device powered by our special software. It delivers a new way of sharing your private files with your friends. You can share files or folders with people you trust, anywhere they are. Files are visible instantly without syncing, no bulk uploads, no data size limits. And no catch: no monthly fees.

Better Cloud: Private, invite-only Sherlybox

Sherlybox creates a private, invite-only network where you can share movies, music, documents – anything you want – without any storage or size limitations. Now you can keep all your files private and shareable at the same time! It’s like a private cloud under your control. Instead of sending your files to public cloud services, you can share any-size files or folders only with people that you invited personally. Fast, secure and without any cloud storage bill.

Public cloud services tell it's users:

We say:

With Sherlybox only you decide where your data is and with whom you share it.

How does it work?

Sherlybox is the natural stage of Sher.ly’s development: application based on the secure connectivity technology our team created in 2009 called GatelessVPN. GVN is a special kind of Virtual Private Network working without central servers. The users are communicating directly with each other.

It’s like a supercharged Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Google Driverunning privately from your own drives securely behind your firewall. Any folder you’ve got can be shared with the people you invite; they can contribute their own files to groups as well.

It’s very easy to work with Sher.ly. Just create a group (represented by folder on your machine), add files that you want to share and invite friends by email. In a blink of an eye they will see what you have. They will be able to download or sync files. They can also add their own files that will be visible to you. No data limits (it’s your storage, right?), no storage capacity, no bulk downloads and uploads choking your Internet connection.

Just Press & Go

In many ways, Sherlybox is like regular NAS: it is equipped with an internal storage, network connectivity, etc. But similarities end there: everything else about it is different, better. For example, you don’t need a lot of time and thick user guide to start your adventure with Sherlybox.

All you need to do is to click 3 times on the Sher.ly logo button placed in front of the device to set up wireless connection with your computer and the device will automatically register to your Sher.ly account.

Why do I need Sherlybox?

Sherlybox works in the background no matter if you work within your home network or on the Internet. You have always-on, secure access to all your files, working on them as you always do. It’s like a huge, invisible USB drive that’s always ready, always connected. How can you take advantage of it?

Move large files with ultimate speed

Sher.ly software protocol is designed especially for big files and it’s up to 20x faster than the CIFS/SMB protocols that haven’t changed fundamentally in almost 20 years – their performance remains very limited. If you need to move some data around, use Sher.ly app and you will experience how fast your network actually is.

Let’s do a simple test: get two computers connected back to back or over a Gigabit Ethernet network and try to transmit data with such speed. Do you get Gb/s transfer? Nope, barely less than half of that: ~50% of the network speed is really working. Under the same scenario, Sherlybox can utilize up to 94% of the network bandwidth: even 940Mb/s in real data traffic.

Share high-quality content instantly

Do you want to send uncompressed .WAV files with your band last rehearsal to your friend? Or maybe you have some huge .RAW files that you want to share with your illustrator? Forget about carrying it everywhere on a bunch of USB drives. Thanks to Sherlybox you can gain access to it anywhere you are, using any device with Sher.ly app, also mobile in the future.

Security by design

Any doubts about confidential data? Thanks to Sherlybox, all transmissions are always direct and encrypted. No more stuffing your inbox with huge attachments – now you can share your data and discuss it within the group using timeline.

Remember: Your data is not going to be sent out anywhere. Your friend will get only access to it from your storage. As the group owner, only you can erase files and manage invitations. When you revoke invitation, data you’ve shared will be remotely deleted from friend shared folder.

Store your holiday memories in one place

Do you remember those Hawaii trip photos and videos you love showing to your friends? Turn on your Sherlybox and simply invite them to your group without uploading any files to public servers. Enjoy your memories with people you know and keep your privacy protected.

Work together with your teams

Working with other files is also simple. You can download any file to your shared folder and start working with it. Changes will be synced on all devices in the group. As the group owner, only you can erase files and manage invitations. No more accidentally deleted files.

After syncing, you can turn off your computer because data that you want to share is always available for you and people with access, no matter what kind of device they use: PC, Mac, Linux machine, a tablet, a smartphone, etc.

Share data and talk about it: Timeline

What else can you do with your Sher.ly app working with Sherlybox? For example, you can add Timelines for conversation about every single shared file. You can manage projects with your business colleagues or chat with friends about your newest photo session. Forget about another dozen of email attachments with latest remarks to documents you are working on.

Have fun!

We love watching cool movies and photos made by our friends. That is why we want to make Sher.ly media files available to work with streaming services like Plex.tv and XMBC. With Plex mobile and smart TV apps you can stream any content you want: on your phone, tablet or big screen TV – directly from your Sherlybox. XMBC is a great media centre software that turns your living room into real cinema. All you have to do is install both services plugins for RaspberryPI – Sherlybox hardware platform.

You will be The Master Of The Clouds

We know that you probably have one or more public cloud accounts like Dropbox, Box, Google Drive or OneDrive. It’s hard to manage few of them in one moment don’t you think? With Sher.ly desktop app you can easily integrate your public clouds accounts, move files between them and use it simultaneously with Sher.ly.

Our application does not ask for your public cloud password. Each of these cloud services create a folder on your machine and these folders contain all your data synced continuously with the cloud.
Sher.ly app see these local folders, therefore you can easily move files between them and share the same files through Sher.ly and for example Dropbox.

Keep in mind that all files shared through public cloud will be uploaded there, while files shared via Sher.ly are not – until one of your team members request it. Therefore sharing big files via Sher.ly makes more sense, as you are not increasing your online space from XGB to XXGB.

Technology

Sherlybox’s security and reliability are guaranteed by Sher.ly’s special protocol. It’s a combination of secure VPN connectivity with peer-to-peer topology that we call GatelessVPN. It means the technology doesn’t relay all traffic to potentially vulnerable central servers, but communicates directly between nodes. That means Sher.ly does not store your data, it remains where it is and what people you've shared it with.

This new approach brings a big promise of solving security, performance and scalability issues, inherent in many cloud systems. Think of Sher.ly as creating a VPN connection to any folder or file you want to access or share.

What’s inside Sherlybox?

After two-year long process of development, we are proud to present to you a fully-functional prototype, equipped with a brand new Raspberry PI C compute module. You can sync your data with Sherlybox from every device via fast built-in wired or wireless network. It also supports popular HDMI and USB 2.0 outputs, so you can plug-in wide-screen TV just to watch your shared movies straight from the device via XBMC supported by RaspberryPI platform.

You can connect Sherlybox up to 127 external USB devices, to keep all your data safe and always available.

Design

We have designed Sherlybox with the future in mind. Sherlybox is arguably the best looking data storage device in the industry. It works well, so it must look well too! We have combined simplicity with convenience. Device is only 5.9 inches high and 4.6 inches wide, so you can put it on your desk without losing your workspace.

Production Plan in US

Sherlybox will be manufactured with precise supervision and fierce attention to details. We are focused on providing the highest-quality product and we want to have an eye on the manufacturing process. We’re ready for mass production and all we need is your support to ramp up the assembly process to get Sherlybox to you as early as possible. We’ve been preparing for this stage for over 2 years and now we look forward to kickstarting the project with your support.

What do I get?

Sherlybox

Ethernet cable

Power adapter

Manual

Sher.ly app license "Kickstarter edition", valid indefinitely

Meet the team

Sher.ly Inc. was founded in 2009 in Krakow, Poland by two visionaries: Marek Ciesla and Blazej Marciniak – both experienced in development entrepreneurs in IT solutions. They are friends for nearly 20 years and share passion for amazing products and high-tech gadgets. Marek and Blazej are backed by three young and creative IT developers: Krzysztof, Wojtek and Piotr.

Blazej is a network guy specialized in network data transmission technologies and security. He is an inventor of GatelessVPN – Sher.ly secure connectivity technology. He was managing corporate IT projects for over 15 years, delivering custom infrastructure and mobile solutions for banks and ISP’s across Europe. Sher.ly project is his second startup after PrivacyProtector. Say hello to Blazej on LinkedIn or Twitter.

I really have a dream job. I’m working with best people on the project we are all passionate about. Hot coffee during long discussions with my team at white boards with new ideas - these are certainly the moments that I really enjoy.

Marek is experienced entrepreneur, with deep understanding of online marketing and SEO. He cofounded and built successful start-ups before Sher.ly with more than 7 million user base. For 8 years he was gaining experience in sales and software licensing for DivX, Rovi and BitTorrent. Say hello to Marek on LinkedIn or Twitter.

After six months of hard work, we have realized that we are actually working on a start-up and soon after Sher.ly was born. Firstly, we came with an application: private cloud solution designed for security-conscious businesses and individuals looking to take back control of their sensitive data. Now, in 2014, the team is continuously developing Sher.ly application together with our new child – Sherlybox. We would like to take advantage of the Sher.ly application by extending it into physical form and giving it to everybody.

We are open to new opportunities and we would like to be in touch with the most experienced and creative people from the new technology sector worldwide. That’s why last year we opened our new office in Palo Alto, California. Working close to the most influential inventors from the Silicon Valley unveils big potential and it should bring new paths of development in the nearest future.
You might have heard about us in the past: we have launched Sher.ly into Public Beta at TechCrunch Disrupt conference in Berlin, October 2013. We were also among finalists of the Tech Match InSight2030 program, organized by the Polish Ministry of Economy in cooperation with US Partners.

Rewards

By being one of the first to get Sherlybox, you can really help us make this project real. Every person backing us makes the difference, so we would like to give you something as an reward for your support. First of all, every backer with at least $29 pledgewill receive lifetime “Kickstarter edition” license for using Sher.ly application. Lifetime means “valid indefinitely”. It includes features available in business license, like using TimeLines and creating unlimited ammount of groups. But we have more stuff for you. Get hipster t-shirts, cool jackets, custom Sherlyboxes and even more!

Take a close look at our geek t-shirts!

Do you like this extremely uniting Sher.ly outfit?

We believe…

…in our local storage cloud vision and we bet everything on it. That’s our 100% day job. We do not give up and we will do everything not to give up the trust that you’ve granted us by backing up our project. We would like to thank all our backers and potential backers for your time spent on reading about the Sherlybox idea. If you like it and want to take control over clouds with us, please share it with your friends and family and help us reach our goal. It’s up to you guys to bring this project to life and make sharing files better – without your help, we will be stuck with public clouds. Forever.

Thanks For Your Support!

To sum up:

Your Private Cloud – Sherlybox creates a private, invite-only network where you can share stuff with each other without any storage or size limitations.

Just Press and Go – Sherlybox is extremely easy to use. Simply press the Sherlybox logo to set it up and you're done.

All your data available to share. Always – even if you turn off your computer, data that you want to share will be available for people with access thanks to Sherlybox.

More Storage Capability – if you need more storage space, Sherlybox can be expanded with up to 127 USB HDD drives if you want.

Secured Data Sharing – only people you personally invite will see data in your shared folder (a group). In public cloud, well, you never know.

Back us now and do not pay again for sharing your data – get Sherlybox and forget about charges from cloud service providers. Sherlybox and a Sher.ly app is single cost, not a monthly service.

Awesome design – Sherlybox’s futuristic approach can be seen at first sight. It is by far the best-looking cloud storage device in the industry.

RaspberryPI open world - Sherlybox is based on RaspberryPI new module C and you can install any apps you want on top of it on your own.

Risks and challenges

There is always some risk involved when producing a product that combines both electronic hardware and software. So we made everything to reduce it to minimum before launching this Kickstarter campaign.

As a hardware platform, we use RaspberryPI which is a well-tested and proven solution. With the new RaspberryPI C compute module (http://www.raspberrypi.org/raspberry-pi-compute-module-new-product), we are ready for stretch goals like Gigabit and 11ac WiFi. Manufacturing company that we have chosen has already produced thousands of units successfully for other clients. The main risks concerning hardware are thus reduced to logistics. Unplanned delays in the manufacturing process can still occur, but issues related to the hardware design of the device are very unlikely.

On the software side, we’re glad to say that we solved the most critical technical challenges brought by our app. We have already built a 0.7 version of our application on Mac, Windows and Linux. We are currently in the process of optimizing our application code to transform it into production-grade software. And we are confident we can do it during the next six months.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 29 or more
About US$ 29

LIFETIME SHER.LY APP LICENSE. The only chance to get Sher.ly app "Kickstarter edition" to share your files directly from your computers. Available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It includes features available in business license, like using TimeLines and creating unlimited ammount of groups. Don’t be late. Business license will retail for $360/year after this Kickstarter campaign.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $79 or more
About $79

COOL JACKET: T-shirt is not enough? All right, so we have something special for you. And very limited. Fancy with a new, black winter jacket? Get yourself one! Also you get lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $149 or more
About $149

EARLY BIRD WITHOUT HD: You will get Sherlybox shell in white color with 2,5" HD slot. Also you get lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license. And you get it all at a very special price. It's a proof you're one of our earliest supporters.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $199 or more
About $199

EARLY BIRD WITH HD: You will get Sherlybox with 1TB hard drive in white color. Also you get lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license. And you get it all at a very special price. It's a proof you're one of our earliest supporters.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $199 or more
About $199

SHERLYBOX 1TB HD: You will get Sherlybox with 1TB hard drive in white color. Also you get lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license. And you get it all at a very special price. It's a proof you're one of our earliest supporters.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

PERSONAL ENGRAVING: You will get Sherlybox with 1TB hard drive in white color with your description - like a unique trophy or best gift ever. Of course you will also get lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license. Free shipping!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

COLOR YOUR LIFE: You will get Sherlybox with 1TB hard drive in custom color. Tell us what’s your favorite? Of course you will also get lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license. Free shipping!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

TWINS! Two Sherlybox units in custom color with 1TB HD, working in sync, along with lifetime Sher.ly app “Kickstarter edition” license. We will call you to personally thank you and talk about your vision. We are open for suggestions, ideas and partnerships.